The translations of several passages in the Bible are disputed. This has led to some doctrinal disagreement throughout Christian history, with scholars and others citing different translations of the same passage to support slightly different views. A few critics of Christianity cite rare uncertainties in translation to challenge the entire religion; this viewpoint ignores the overwhelming agreement in translation and the role of faith, prayer and divine inspiration in religious discourse.

The most significant differences in translation arise between modern versions and the older King James Version, rather than among different modern versions. One (of many) examples is the modern change in translation of the phrase "eternal damnation" in Mark 3:29 to "eternal sin."[1]

Islam dictates that the Koran be read only in its original Arabic, thereby avoiding any issues of translation. Translations of the Koran do exist, but they are called "interpretations", and not used for study, worship or devotional purposes.

Vanishing Devil

Disappearing Hell

Modern translations have been eliminating references to Hell. For example, the King James Bible mentions Hell 54 times[14], while the New International Version mentions it only 14 times[15]. The following translations of Matt 11:23 in chronological order illustrate the disappearance:

And for your , Capernaum: 'Will you be exalted to heaven" You will go down to the netherworld.' For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today.

Note that Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries show the word being translated as "hell" is "ᾅδης" ("hadēs"). Properly translated unseen, that is, “Hades” or the place (state) of departed souls: - grave, hell. [16]

Downplaying the Deity of Jesus

Modern versions tend to downplay the deity of Jesus, and use phrases like "Lord Jesus Christ" and "Jesus Christ" less frequently than older translations. Here is a comparison:[17]

Downplaying the Spirit at Creation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.

New English Bible

In the beginning of creation, when God made heaven and earth, the earth was without form and void, with darkness over the face of the abyss, and a mighty wind that swept over the surface of the waters.

Translate as "bow" or "rainbow"?

The origin of the rainbow is explained in Genesis 9:13, but many translations refer to it as merely a "bow":

"I am setting My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall serve as a banner of a binding agreement between Me and the earth."

Light versus Darkness in John 1:5

The translation of John 1:5 requires addressing whether "darkness", which perhaps encompasses both a lack of faith and pure evil, fails to understand the "light" (Jesus), or whether it may understand the light but fails to overcome it. In addition, there is the issue as to whether the darkness continues to fail to overcome the light. Here are various translations of that single verse:

New King James Version

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.

Isaiah 7:14

This passage is a prophesy of the birth of Jesus, and the dispute concerns whether to translate the term for the woman as "virgin" or "young woman." The Hebrew term is ambiguous; the Greek term as used in the Septuagint means "virgin".

Add an hour to your life, or a cubit to your height?

One of the most striking differences in translations, even modern conservative translations, concerns Luke 12:25:

Holman

Can any of you add a cubit to his height by worrying?

NIV

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

NKJV

And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

ESV

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

The word helikian was used by the Greeks to mean both lengths of time and bodily stature.

"Holy Spirit" (Paraclete)

Jesus used the Greek term "paraclete" to refer to what is now commonly called the "Holy Spirit" in English (formerly the "Holy Ghost," see next section below). The Greek term can mean "(1) a legal advocate, or counsel for defense, (2) an intercessor, (3) a helper, generally."[22] What are the differences in translation in its biblical use? One of the five references to this word by John (four in his Gospel, and the fifth in his first letter) is in John 15:26, which quotes Jesus:

NAB

When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.

Holman

When the Counselor comes -- whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father -- he will testify about me.

NIV

When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

NRSV

When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf.

Holy "Spirit" or Holy "Ghost"

The English language lacks an equivalent for the Greek term "pneuma", which is used 350 times in the New Testament to express the third member of the Holy Trinity.[23] This Greek word is typically translated as "to breathe", "to blow," or "of the wind."[24] It forms the root for the English term "pneumonia".[24]

For hundreds of years the English translation of this term in connection with the third member of the Holy Trinity has been "Holy Ghost":[25]

Not only does the King James Bible use the term the Holy Ghost, but all earlier English Bibles did as well. The Holy Ghost is found in Wycliffe's translation 1395, Tyndale’s New Testament 1525, Coverdale 1535, Bishops' Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, Mace N.T. 1729, Wesley's N.T. 1755, Douay-Rheims version, and in more modern times it is also found in Montgomery’s New Testament, the Revised Version, the Catholic Douay version 1950, the KJV 21st Century version and the Third Millennium Bible.

Yet none of the modern English versions of the Bible translates this as "Holy Ghost," and instead they insist on the less forceful and more ambiguous term "Holy Spirit." One commentator observes:[25]

It is ironic that the NKJV, NIV, NASB, RSV and many other modern versions have tossed out the term Holy Ghost, yet they have introduced the totally false idea of human ghosts.

For example, the New International Version repeatedly refers to a personal, human "ghost" where the King James Bible referred to "spirit":

Mt 14:26:

New International Version: When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.[26]

King James Bible: And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.[26]

Luke 24:39:

New International Version: "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.[27]

King James Bible: "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."[27]

The Adulteress Story, beginning of John 8

The authenticity of the story of Jesus and an adulteress appears at John 7:53 through John 8:11 is rejected by most modern biblical translations and many if not nearly all modern biblical scholars, and it does not exist in any of the early biblical manuscripts.[28] The passage has become a favorite of liberals to argue against capital punishment: "Common reasons against capital punishment ... Abolitionists often quote Jesus' treatment of the adulteress in the Gospel of John as support for their position."[29]

The passage is used to deny the very existence of Hell, and thus the necessity of being saved.[30]

The different translations of the Bible comment on this passage as follows:

NAB

7,53-8,11: The story of the woman caught in adultery is a later insertion here, missing from all early Greek manuscripts. A Western text-type insertion, attested mainly in Old Latin translations, it is found in different places in different manuscripts: here, or after 7, 36, or at the end of this gospel, or after Lk 21, 38, or at the end of that gospel.

Holman

Other mss [manuscripts] omit bracketed text [John 7:53-8:11].

NIV

The earliest and most reliable manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53-8:11.

NRSV

The most ancient authorities lack 7.53-8.11; other authorities add the passage here or after 7.36 or after 21.25 or after Luke 21.38, with variations of text; some mark the passage as doubtful.

John 7:53 to 8:11 is absent from most of the older manuscripts, and those that have it sometimes place it elsewhere. The story may well be authentic. Indeed, Christ's response of compassion and mercy is so much in keeping with His character that we accept it as authentic, and feel that to omit it would be most unfortunate.

Disappearing Warning Against Adultery?

The King James version has 43 references to "adultery". But modern translations refer to it less and less. An example of this erasure is Galations 5:19:

KJV

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

NIV

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

Holman

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity,

ESV

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

NASB

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,

Our Father

Different versions have different translations for the leading Christian prayer, the Our Father (in Roman Catholic terminology) and The Lord's Prayer (in Protestant terminology) (at Mt 6:12-13):

NAB

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.

Holman

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

NRSV

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.

Protestant or Catholic

There appears to be no meaningful differences between translations of the New Testament between Protestants and Catholics. [33]

One passage however, Luke 1:28 in which Gabriel greets Mary, is translated differently by Catholics and Protestants. The phrase "Hail, full of grace," from which the first line of the Catholic Hail Mary prayer is derived, is likely to appear in Catholic Bibles; Protestant Bibles, such as the NIV, KJV, and ASV, use the phrase "highly favored" instead of "full of grace."

There is a difference among Protestants with respect to predestination (Calvinists and conservative Presbyterians accept it, Catholics and other Protestants reject it) and the translation of Romans 8:29-30:[34]

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

There are differences with respect to the Old Testament.

Jesus as God - Romans 9:5

A point of contention is the description of Jesus as God in Romans 9:5. Here are several translations of it:

Acts 8:37

Context

Right before Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunch, the eunuch asked "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (KJV Acts 8:36) In other versions, nothing. The chariot stands still, and he is baptized (v. 38)

Meaning

This omission shows an emphasis being placed on works rather than faith in Jesus Christ. Baptisim alone will not take you to Heaven.

Prodigal Son

The translation of the immoral conduct of the wayward Prodigal Son, and the effect of that conduct, has been diluted over the years in Luke 15:13 (emphasis added):

The ending to the Gospel of Mark, who was not an eyewitness to Jesus, briefly describes the Resurrection after Mark 16:8. Some cite an absence of this ending in certain early manuscripts in order to deny its authenticity as part of the Gospel of Mark.

As an ending, however, it is possible that it was not always fully copied, and manuscripts that lack this ending also lack other portions.[37] Very early Christians repeatedly cited the full ending as part of the authentic Gospel of Mark, and it is fully corroborated by the other Gospels.[37]

Exodus 21:22

Pro-abortionChristians cite Exodus 21:22 in an attempt to downplay how wrong abortion is. That passage concerns an accidental injury to a pregnant woman, and the punishment that should be imposed if there is resultant injury:

KJV

If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.

Holman

When men get in a fight, and hit a pregnant woman so that her children are born [prematurely], but there is no injury, the one who hit her must be fined as the woman's husband demands from him, and he must pay according to judicial assessment.

NIV

If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows.

NRSV

When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no further harm follows, the one responsible shall be fined what the woman's husband demands, paying as much as the judges determine.

Matthew 9:18

There is a difference in translation as to whether a ruler had faith in the ability of Jesus to bring his daughter back to life after death, or whether his faith was in Jesus to heal his daughter in order to avert death:

KJV

While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

Holman

As He was telling them these things, suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before Him, saying, "My daughter is near death, but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live."

NIV

While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live."

NRSV

While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."

Diluting Proverbs 3:5

Liberal translations of the Bible dilute the admonition against relying on one's own (faulty) understanding at the expense of God:

KJV

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.[38]

Holman

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;[39]

NIV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [40]

NRSV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.[41]

"Fell asleep"?

The martyrdom of Stephen ends with "fell asleep" in Acts 7:60, where the more modern term of "unconscious" seems more appropriate:

KJV

And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

NASB

Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep.

NIV

Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

International Standard Version

Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, don't hold this sin against them!" After he had said this, he died.

Did Jesus Sing?

Most translations of Mark 14:26 refer to Jesus and His Apostles ending the Last Supper in this manner: "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." (NIV) The term "hymn" is used in nearly every modern translation except two,[42] which refer to signing "psalms". The footnote in the Holman Christian Standard Bible is enlightening: "Pss 113-118 were sung during and after the Passover meal."

Did Herod Protect John the Baptist?

Modern translations claim that Herod protected John the Baptist, while the KJV says that Herod "observed" him. Mark 6:20 is translated in many different ways by different versions of the Bible.

↑Here is an example of a false denial of Hell based on the Adulteress Story: "No one is going to burn in hell. ... Here's what we know from Jesus' teachings. He would never condemn anyone. Read the story of the adulteress about to be stoned." - Craig. "Re: Heaven and Hell". Greater Reality Forums. Forum.GreaterReality.com